DALLAS When a Texas reporter discovered his identity had been stolen, he tracked down the woman suspected of the crime and surprised her at the door of the hotel room she allegedly paid for using his credit card number.
Steve Noviello is a consumer reporter for Dallass Fox 4 television news. He received an alert from Visa that someone was attempting to use his credit card number to pay for a hotel room at the Hilton Garden Inn in nearby Richardson, Texas, according to Fox 4.
After speaking with representatives at Visa, he called the Hilton and asked if anyone had tried to check in using his name. When that didnt turn up any leads, he had hotel employees run a check to see if his credit card number was connected to a specific room.
Thats when he broke the case: A woman named Farah Parks had used a credit card with her name but bearing his number to check into room 239, Fox 4 reported. So Noviello decided to immediately pay a visit to room 239.
He sent police officers ahead of him, armed with the information to take Parks into custody. Since officers wouldnt facilitate a meet-and-greet between victim and perpetrator, Noviello stood outside the door and waited to confront Parks, according to Fox 4.
Police led Parks out in handcuffs, and Noviello launched his interview iPhone set to record. He asked Parks if she used his credit card number something she quickly denied.
How did you pay to get into the room? Noviello asks.
Im not gonna talk to you, she replies.
Noviello proceeds to ask her how she got his credit card number and whether shed be willing to help other consumers know how to protect themselves from a scam such as this one. While Parks refuses to say anything about the scam, she did offer up an apology.
Ive just made some bad choices in my life, she said. Im aware of that and I apologize.
Noviellos attempts to get Parks to talk in jail were in vain, according to Fox 4. Parks now faces fraud charges.
Steve Noviello is a consumer reporter for Dallass Fox 4 television news. He received an alert from Visa that someone was attempting to use his credit card number to pay for a hotel room at the Hilton Garden Inn in nearby Richardson, Texas, according to Fox 4.
After speaking with representatives at Visa, he called the Hilton and asked if anyone had tried to check in using his name. When that didnt turn up any leads, he had hotel employees run a check to see if his credit card number was connected to a specific room.
Thats when he broke the case: A woman named Farah Parks had used a credit card with her name but bearing his number to check into room 239, Fox 4 reported. So Noviello decided to immediately pay a visit to room 239.
He sent police officers ahead of him, armed with the information to take Parks into custody. Since officers wouldnt facilitate a meet-and-greet between victim and perpetrator, Noviello stood outside the door and waited to confront Parks, according to Fox 4.
Police led Parks out in handcuffs, and Noviello launched his interview iPhone set to record. He asked Parks if she used his credit card number something she quickly denied.
How did you pay to get into the room? Noviello asks.
Im not gonna talk to you, she replies.
Noviello proceeds to ask her how she got his credit card number and whether shed be willing to help other consumers know how to protect themselves from a scam such as this one. While Parks refuses to say anything about the scam, she did offer up an apology.
Ive just made some bad choices in my life, she said. Im aware of that and I apologize.
Noviellos attempts to get Parks to talk in jail were in vain, according to Fox 4. Parks now faces fraud charges.